Flickering Flame
by Flickker
Summary: The first Flick Fic ever posted! Fluffy pairing between DoonxLina. Doon struggles with the need to get out of Ember and his ever growing feelings for Lina Mayfleet, his best friend. Based in the future where both are 18 years old and still in Ember.


Flickering Flame

Doon Harrow was snoring softly atop his lumpy bed burrowed deep beneath his thick blankets. The artificial lights of Ember strained to creep through the thin and dusty shades of the cluttered room. His eyes flickered open as the dim light hit his face, the fan in the corner of his room brushing aside the cloth over his windows. Doon sighed and cursed halfheartedly to himself. _Another day in the crumbling City of Ember, _he thought as the lights flickered and buzzed in response. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, his brow furrowed in disappointment and slight anger. He was eighteen, had been working in the pipeworks for six years and he hadn't come any closer to finding a way out of the squandering city that was deteriorating before his very eyes. It wouldn't be long now before it fell apart completely and the citizens of Ember were left to utter terror in an inky black darkness. There had to be a way out of Ember, and he was going to find it. With the help of his best friend of course.

Doon's thoughts shifted to Lina Mayfleet. The girl who he had grown up with, Doon and Lina shared the same ideas and need to get out of Ember, and as they had gotten older, he couldn't help but deny that Lina had a distinct power over him. She meant more to him than anyone else in all of Ember, from her head to her toes Doon loved every part of her, quirks and all. The two had always been close, but as they grew older, they had become inseparable. A force to be reckoned with. Doon couldn't deny that he had fallen head over heels in love with his best friend.

It was then that the very girl he was thinking of burst jovially through his bedroom door. Her thick brown hair was woven tightly into a braid that settled between her shoulder blades. Her slender form was clad in the bright scarlet of a messenger's cape and her radiant face was covered in a smattering of light freckles.

"Doon!" she yelled, her trademark mischievous grin making her eyes twinkle as they crinkled around the edges, "Get up sleepy head!" Lina lunged, tackling Doon and toppling him backward from where he was sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Lina Mayfleet, you'll be the death of me!" he cried in mock anger before starting to laugh. She poked him playfully in the side, making him clutch at his ribs with a groan before grabbing at her feet, and, throwing the worn boots off, tickling her toes. It was her surefire weakness.

"Doon," she forced out through thick waves of uncontrollable laughter, "stop, I give in!" He let go of her stocking'd feet and fell back beside her on the bed.

"Not fair," she retorted, wiping her tearing eyes, "you went for the low hanging fruit that time."

"You started it," he answered with a grin, "remind me why you're my friend again?" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as her mouth dropped open in playful surprise.

"Doon Harrow, you love me and you know it." She popped him again in the ribs before leaping off the bed away from his retaliating grasp.

"I'll get you when you least expect it then." He added as he stood up off the bed and made his way to the window to look out at the bustling streets of Ember.

Lina snorted from the doorway. "Please Doon, you're way too slow for me."

He stood stock still at the dirty windows, pretending to be absorbed in something interesting below before making a wild grab at her. She raced from the doorway nimbly out of his reach.

"Told you!" she said with a laugh as she hopped down the stairs.

Doon sighed and smiled to himself. Pulling on a clean shirt and pants, he made his way down to the pipeworks for what felt like the thousandth time.

Doon trudged woefully out of the dank and dirty recesses of Ember. His face and arms smeared with a layer of silt and grime, he took in a deep breath of stuffy but clean air as he reached the crowded streets of Ember. Today had been a particularly troubling day as Doon had been able to sneak away from Sol and his duties to the generator, Ember's sole and precious power source. The door leading into it was open, which Doon found odd until he made his way closer and heard what he feared above all.

The generator was hitching and groaning as an old and failing chair might do if someone too heavy sat in it. Rubble lay strewn about the two hundred foot tall steaming hunk. It was then, as he watched with horror, that he felt a hand roughly pull him back away from the doorway. He turned to see Sol very awake and very annoyed.

"My dear boy, what on earth do you think you're doing? Get on home, your work day's over." He said with a hard clap on the back that made Doon start.

Sol looked perfectly unconcerned about the dire situation with the generator. In fact, once his annoyance subsided, he looked practically jovial. _How? _Doon wondered as he aimlessly wandered home, _how could no one care, or even be frightened? _It was then, when he was mulling over his thoughts, that Lina found him, worry clouding her icy blue eyes. But there was something else in them, hope maybe?

"Doon, I—" Lina started. The ceremonial buzz and pop of Ember's lights interrupted her and fear spread across her features as she looked up at Doon. His own eyes met hers for a split second before he turned his face up towards the flickering lights above. An odd sound filled the air and Doon gasped, pushing Lina backward as a wire sparked above them and fell to the earth. The shattering glass and electrical fizz as the light hit the ground at Doon's feet made everyone on the street stand completely still, bringing their own eyes slowly to Ember's spotted sky of lights. Then, as if a blanket had been thrown over the town, it went suddenly black. Screams reverberated through the pitch black from every direction.

"Doon, I've found something, something we're been looking for." She whispered as she felt for him in the air that was filled with cries of terror.

"I'm here. Lina." He said, clutching her outstretched hand and pulling her close to him. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his shirt. He hugged her tightly to him as they shivered nervously in the darkened street. The sound of wailing children and screaming citizens filled their ears as they waited, counting the seconds and clinging to one another. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the deep crimson of a flare pierced the sky and Doon caught a flash of people running about wildly in vain.

"This must be the longest yet." Murmured Lina in exasperation. He said nothing but continued counting, praying silently that the lights would come back to life. It was then as Doon began to feel hope fading in the thick veil of darkness that covered the city, the lights flickered, with some effort, back on and bathed Ember in gold. Relief washed quickly over the pair as they continued to hold tightly to each other, Doon secretly reveling in it. But his relief was short lived. A strange scent wafted to Doon's nose, something different and out of place. Smokey almost. As if in response to the questions that were now filling his head, the eerie sound of friction on metal cut through the air. Once again, everyone was still.

"Lina, it's the generator. I've got to go. Come by later to tell me what you've found." She nodded bravely as Doon turned and raced off for the pipeworks for the second time that day. But before he could get far, a soft hand found his own, pulling him backwards. He turned to see Lina looking up at him, caution and something else he couldn't place shown in her eyes.

"Doon," she said quietly as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "please be safe." He nodded quickly, a warm flush growing in his cheeks as he looked at her worried expression.

"And you too." He replied before squeezing her hand in turn and then dashing off. Lina watched him go before spinning on her heel and taking off in the opposite direction towards home.

Doon kicked himself the entire way down to the deep caverns of Ember. _I should have told her, _he thought, _right then and there as she was holding fast to my hand how I feel about her. _He shook his head and pushed the thought away as he ripped his boots and helmet from his locker. _It's impossible to tell her without losing her, losing our easy friendship. She can't possibly feel the same, _he told himself as he thrust his thick rubber boots onto his feet. He couldn't risk that, couldn't risk losing Lina over his trivial feelings. He pulled his metal helmet on with some difficulty and forced the maddening thoughts from his mind as the deep groaning of the generator persisted. He ran from the empty locker room to the generator door, and finding it open once again, Doon rushed through the doorway.

A cloud of thick smoke hit him in the face as he made his way into the enormous room. His eyes and nose were burning in the stifling room and a hacking cough racked his body. Pulling his shirt up over his mouth, Doon's eyes widened in horror at the scene before him. It was utter and complete chaos. Indistinct pieces of Ember's life source were falling from every direction while the electricians below did their best to avoid them. A red hot blanket of fire covered the top of the generator and was spreading ever further each second. People were rushing about all around him, their faces black with soot and ash.

He pushed his way through the oncoming crowd as a pitched scream made him pause for a second before fighting harder through the terrified masses. As he finally shouldered his way through, Doon looked frantically for the source of the bloodcurdling cry. He scanned the ground in front of the burning generator and found it. A small boy who couldn't be more than twelve lay trapped beneath a large piece of rubble. Before Doon could think about the sensible thing to do, his legs were carrying him as fast as they ever had before toward the injured child. He rushed to the boy's side, a thick smog of smoke enveloping them. He ripped off his vest and placed it over the boy's mouth.

"Hang on!" Doon yelled over the generator's protests, "I'm gonna get you out of here!"

The boy looked up at him, clutching his trapped leg in vain. Doon turned his attention to the jagged piece of metal atop the boy. He pushed with all his might, groaning as it shuddered against his weight. As he felt his eyes stinging painfully and his skin singeing, he thought of the one thing that brought unfailing light into his life. He thought of Lina, her beautiful yet wry smile that gave her away. He kept the image in his head and pushed one more time, throwing everything he had at the hunk of scrap. It finally gave way and toppled off the boy whose face was marred with pain. Doon promptly scooped up the small child and ran carefully toward the entrance to the generator, dodging yet more of the shrapnel falling from the dying power supply. He burst from the door gasping as he had finally escaped the burning room. The boy whimpered in his arms as the door was slammed shut behind them.

Doon made his way slowly back towards his house from the infirmary where he had left the boy. They had insisted on cleaning him up too against his willful protests of "I'm fine." _It was over, _he thought finally, _the generator couldn't be fixed. It was simply unsalvageable. _

He trudged into his house, ignoring the stunned looks of wonder from his father who sat tinkering at the kitchen table.

"Son?" he asked in surprise as he took in his blackened clothes. Doon continued up the stairs to his room, too tired to acknowledge his father. The door upstairs slammed and Loris Harrow's eyes widened as he forced his attention back to his work.

Doon threw himself down atop his bed, his hands covering his face. _There must be something, something I'm missing. _He racked his brain coming up with nothing then sighed in disappointment. He felt like such a failure. He hadn't ever done anything of use for Ember. Hell, he couldn't even tell Lina how much she meant to him.

As if on cue, a loud knocking shook him from his thoughts.

"Doon, it's me." Called the light voice of Lina from outside his door.

"Come in." He answered, sitting upon his covers.

She opened the door and made her way to his bed, plopping herself down on it, her eyes filled with anticipation. He looked her over curiously and his eyes fell on a thick metal box gripped tightly in her arms.

"I've found it, Doon. Or I think I have." She quivered with excitement.

"Um, yes, it would seem as if you've found a box…" he answered suspiciously, wondering if it was a joke of some kind.

"It's not the box silly, it's what's inside of it. " She clicked a small button on the side in response and the top flew open revealing a mess of torn papers. Doon's furrowed eyebrows raised as he waited for an explanation.

"I found it this morning. Poppy stayed home from school sick today with a fever and the chills. I was digging through Granny's mess of a closet for some extra blankets and found this buried in the very back beneath mounds of old yarn. So I opened it in curiosity. I think Poppy had gotten ahold of it at some point, but no matter I've found it. I think it's the way out of Ember."

Doon's eyes widened as he listened to the story. He picked up a scrap and his jaw dropped.

"Lina, this print, it's the same as that in the mayor's book left by the builders. I… I can't believe it! You've found it!" a smile blossomed on his face as he pulled Lina joyfully into his arms, holding her close. She looked up at him from where she lay nearly on top of him, their faces mere centimeters apart. Doon gulped as his smile faded. _Now or never, Doon. _He reached his hand tentatively behind Lina's neck, pushing a sleek lock of fallen hair off her face with the other. He looked at her quizzically before she gave him a small smile and lifted her own hands up to intertwine in his short, wavy hair.

He pulled her closer gently and her eyes closed. Doon pressed his own lips softly to hers, his eyes fluttering shut in bliss. Not wanting to push his luck in case he had misread her, he pulled away slowly, a smile dancing across mouth as his heart beat like the wings of a moth in his chest. He waited, his hand still cupping her face, searching her face for a response. Her eyes opened briefly, before shutting again as she pulled him close again, their noses touching softly as their foreheads pressed together. Lina turned her head slightly, her lips parted, and met his again as passion danced through their bodies. He held her face gently to his own as she wound her arms around his neck, the kiss deepening. Goosebumps covered Doon's body and as they broke apart, a shaky laugh escaped him.

"You've no idea how long I've wanted to do that, Lina Mayfleet." He tapped her nose gently with his finger, grinning at her playfully.

"Well, I guess that makes two of us then," she answered with a laugh, crinkling her nose as he poked it.

The two spent the rest of the night piecing together the torn fragments of Ember's secret and observing the mysterious key before they fell asleep in each other's arms, the key to survival spread across their bodies like a security blanket.

As Doon's eyes had grown heavy, he placed a soft kiss of Lina's forehead before drifting off, a smile playing at the edge of his lips as she snuggled into his neck. _We're going to get out of Ember, _he thought. _Together._


End file.
